Breaking The Truth
by HP714
Summary: Her lies were pulling her under. She was drowning in them. If she didn't do something soon, they would start affecting her little Rose. Her daughter. Hermione would not let that happen. It was time to tell the truth. To Ron and Draco. Dramione ABANDONED
1. Suspicions

**Breaking The Truth**

**Chapter 1: Suspicions**

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N/A I don't have a beta or anything and I didn't get a chance to look over this chapter so if there's any mistakes, tell me so I can fix them :) thanks

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She was sure life couldn't get anymore complicated than it already was. She sat on the floor of the living room in her little cottage she'd bought a year ago or so. Papers for work were sprawled out in front of her. She sat in sweatpants and a tee, concentrating hard on her case. A woman had a baby with a man who she wasn't with and now he wants custody rights. She sighed, reading it over and over again. Her mind wasn't with her. It kept wandering.

Hermione glanced up at the little four-year-old, playing happily with a few of her dolls. She smiled sweetly at Rose. She had curly blonde locks and brown eyes. Hermione thought she was the most beautiful little girl in the world, but, of course, she was biased considering she was her mother. Taking her eyes off Rose for a second, Hermione looked at the clock. Ron would be here soon.

Ron.

The gratitude she had for Ron was not easy to express. She could only say thank you so many times. He was almost always at her house, helping out with her darling Rose. Hermione was pretty sure Ron was the father so it was to be expected, but he went out of his way to help her. They weren't married. Of course he'd tried to convince her to marry him and he'd popped the question more than once. But Hermione wasn't ready to be married. And right now, as she gazed at Rose, she felt she'd made the right choice.

Rose didn't look like Ron. There was nothing there. Her blonde hair was obviously a give-a-way. Though she could've easily gotten the hair color from her mother. Hermione had blonde hair as a little girl but it darkened as she got older. Rose also had Hermione's eyes and she had this smirk that was distinctly familiar. Her skin color was pale and her features were pointed. She was skinny and looked as though she'd grow up to be tall.

But aside from the physical details, Rose didn't have Ron's personality. She was stubborn, sly, and manipulative. For a little girl, she was brilliant - which was from Hermione. She also was talented when it came to art. She would sit for hours at home and just finger paint and color. She loved it. But neither Ron nor Hermione was gifted in that area. It only made her wonder…

Hermione jumped as the doorbell rang. She scooped up Rose, scurried to the door, and wrenched it open. There stood Ron, his fiery red hair glowing in the moonlight.

"Hi Hermione." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before pulled Rose off her hip. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him.

"Daddy!" she grinned, hugging him.

Hermione shut the door and followed him into the kitchen. "Want anything to drink?" she offered.

"Coffee, please," Ron replied as he lowered himself on the carpet, leaning his back against the couch. He set Rose in the space between his legs and began to make her laugh. Hermione smiled at the sight while she poured coffee into two mugs.

"Here ya go." She placed his on the end table and then sat down beside him. "Thanks again for coming over. It really means a lot."

"No problem. It looks like you've got a lot of work to do," he commented, looking at the papers lying about on the floor.

Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples. "Yes, I have to finish this case for tomorrow. Which reminds me, can you watch Rose at eleven? I have to go to court for this case. It's alright if you can't," she added hastily.

Ron thought about it, obviously going over what he was doing tomorrow. "I think my boss should let me off early. I'll go back once your done and then come over a the usual time."

"You sure?" Hermione asked, feeling a little like she was forcing him into the situation.

"'Course. Anything for you and little Rosie." He rubbed Rose's cheek. She smiled but didn't look away from her picture she was working on.

"Aw Ron, thanks," Hermione smiled. "Rose gets out of preschool at eleven so mind picking her up?"

"Nope, not at all." He took a gulp of his coffee. "Rosie, whatcha drawing?"

Rose finished what she was coloring before stopping and looking up at Ron. "It's a pictcha of you and mummy and…" her expression turned to that of confusion, "well, I dunno who dat is. I just drawed it." She shrugged and went back to coloring.

Hermione gazed at the drawing. There was something vaguely familiar about the person standing next to her, but she thought nothing if it. Rose couldn't possibly know. She shook the thought from her mind and looked over at Ron. He, too, was staring at the photo.

"It's very nice, Rosie," he commented.

"Thankee," she smiled.

"You're good with her," Hermione murmured.

Ron shrugged, his cheek turning soft red. "I love her, 'Mione, ya know?"

"Good, she loves you too. She never stops talking about you when you're gone." Hermione looked at the clock. "I better go get some work done."

"Okay."

Hermione gathered up her papers and headed into the office that was just off the living room. She cracked the door before sitting down. Her eyes stared at the words in front of her and reread the same line over and over again. The picture Rose had drawn was fixed in her mind. It had blonde hair and was tall. It also wore a smirk that was normally prominent on Rose's features. But there was no way Rose knew about him. She'd never even seen him, or so she thought.

Thinking about him brought her back to that one night. That one night changed her life forever. She didn't even know why it happened. She hadn't been thinking and just lost control. Hermione closed her eyes and banished the thought. No, Rose was Ron's. But all evidence pointed towards the negative. She didn't look or act like Ron. She had none of Ron's interests.

Placing her head in her hands, she took a deep breath and then got back to her work. She had to finish it before tomorrow or else everything would be ruined and her client would most definitely lose the custody battle. She didn't want that. Every man had a right in his child's life, unless he was a crazy person that only wanted to hurt the kid. That brought her back to the way Ron acted with Rose. He was so good with her and spoiled her rotten. He was a good father, she just couldn't bring herself to marry him. Not now, not while she was so full of doubts.

Two hours later, Hermione left the office to find Ron leaning back on the couch, snoring loudly with Rose on his chest sleeping. She giggled quietly at the picture. Yes, he definitely was a good father. She glanced at the clock. It was nine, passed Rose's bedtime and clearly Ron's too. She hated that she was making Ron work so hard. But she couldn't stop him from taking her up on her offers with Rose.

"Ron?" she hissed. His eyes popped open.

"What?" he asked, dazed.

"It's nine. I need to put Rose to bed and you should go," she told him in a whispered.

"Okay." Ron passed the sleeping girl to Hermione, who rested Rose on her chest. Then she followed Ron to the door.

"Thanks again, for tonight…and every night," she said, leaning in the doorway.

"'Mione, you don't have to thank me. I _want_ to help. It's my job. I'd like to be in my daughter's life, even if we aren't married," he replied earnestly before leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

"Bye Ron," Hermione smiled. "Oh and don't forget to pick Rose up from preschool tomorrow."

"I won't," Ron told her. He waved, walked to the end of the driveway, and Disapparated.

Hermione shut the door and carried the sleeping form of Rose upstairs. She laid her gently in the little twin bed, careful not to wake her, and pulled the pink blanket up to her chin. She placed a soft kiss on the little girl's forehead and stepped out of the room, cracking the door behind her. Feeling relieved that she had managed to get her work done, Hermione headed downstairs to clean up Rose's toys. After putting all the crayons back into the box, she picked up the drawing Rose had made and stared at it. She sighed. She had her suspicions and would have to figure out if they were right. The problem was, she wasn't sure if she was ready to. She didn't _want_ her suspicions to be correct.

Sighing again, she knew they were right. There was a part of her that hoped Rose just got the hair color from George Granger, Hermione's father. But, if that were the case, where on earth did Rose inherited that little attitude and that smirk she wore whenever she got her way? How to check, though? Hermione hadn't seen him in over four years. It's not like he would just show up when she needed him to, not that she wanted him to, just for her daughter's sake.

A wave of guilt washed over her. What if he was her father? Would he want to be in her life if he found out? If so, was she right to keep him in the dark? For all she knew, he didn't even know Rose existed. Laughing dryly, Hermione corrected herself. _Everyone_ knew about Rose. She had been in all the headlines for months because she'd been pregnant and single. That was very uncommon in the wizarding world. And even more uncommon that she'd been seventeen at the time.

No, she thought. She'd done the right thing by her. At the time, she was so sure Rose was Ron's child that she didn't have any doubts. But once she came out with that full head of very fair blonde hair, the worries and suspicions came out too. But she'd refused to believe it. She'd pushed it under more and more lies. She felt guilty for it.

Though she knew she'd feel even more bad if Rose's real father found out the truth from someone else. Knowing him, if he cared at all, he'd be seething. When it came to him, he either didn't care or he cared too much. There was no in between when it came to Draco Malfoy.

Yawning, Hermione retired to her bed for the night, awaiting what thoughts a new day would bring.

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N/A Thanks for checking out my story. I'm not going to beg for reviews but if you like it, it would be nice if you did review. That kinda helps me get motivated to write.


	2. Unexpected Surprise

**Breaking The Truth**

**Chapter 2: Unexpected Surprise**

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N/A I already had this chapter written so I decided to put it up

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The morning held a bit of chill to it. Hermione's case wasn't scheduled until eleven which meant she didn't have to be at the courthouse until ten-thirty. She'd taken off work for the whole day and decided to make Rose pancakes before she took her to preschool at nine. The little girl came skipping in at the smell of the pancakes cooking, her fair curls bouncing as she did.

"Mummy, k'I have blueburries in mine?" she asked happily.

Hermione ruffled her curls. "Of course you can, Buggy." She opened the freezer, grabbed the frozen blueberries, and sprinkled them in the pancakes on the grittle. Standing by Hermione, Rose placed her tiny hands on the counter, stood on her tippy-toes, and peered over. Hermione couldn't help but smile at her curious, little girl. Rose inhaled deeply.

"Dat smells goodie," she commented in her tinkling voice, clapping her hands together. "I'm hungy, mummy."

"Good," Hermione murmured, flipping a pancake onto a plate for her daughter, "'cause it's ready." She carried the plate over to the table and set it down. Rose climbed up on the chair and waited for her mother to cut the pancake. After Hermione did that, Rose smothered it in syrup and shoved a forkful in her mouth. Soon, the brunette joined her.

"Mummy?" Rose asked.

"Mmm?" was her reply.

"Is daddy coming ova today?" Her deep brown eyes stared at her mother, her expression wondering.

"Yes, Buggy. Ron's picking you up from preschool today," Hermione told her. She popped a bite of her pancakes in her mouth. Rose chomped before talking again.

"Mummy? If Won is my daddy, why doesn't he live wif us?" Her expression was now innocent as she gazed at her mummy.

Hermione's mouth fell open a bit. How should she respond? She guessed with the truth. She didn't need to worry Rose with the little details about her suspicions concerning Draco. "Because," she started, "mummy isn't ready to marry Ron. I love Ron very much, but it just isn't the right time. Plus…he hasn't _asked_ in a while."

Rose seemed to decipher Hermione's words carefully. Her brow furrowed. "I want daddy to." One thing Hermione liked about Rose was that she never held in what she felt. She told her how it was in her mind.

"We'll see about it, Buggy."

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Should he ask again? Or would that be crossing the point of desperate? He wanted this so bad. He loved Hermione and Rose. Just the thought of the little girl brought a smile to his face. She was a little angel. The cutest little thing, too. Ron had a soft spot for her. Anything she wanted, he gave her. How could he not? When she used her puppy dog face, it was impossible not to love her more. He definitely spoiled that girl rotten. And Ron knew she knew it. She used it to her advantage. There was not doubt that being sly was one of her personality traits.

But back to the thing that had been nagging him for the past few weeks. He still had the ring, and it was a beauty at that. A simple, silver band with a large diamond in the center. All he had to do was pop the question ¾ for the third time. Would he be able to handle another rejection? That he didn't know. Rose was his daughter; Hermione had been his girlfriend. It only seemed fitting that they get married and start a long, happy life together as a family.

But Hermione didn't seem to see the picture. She seemed hesitant and used a lame excuse like, "I'm not ready". How could she _not_ be ready? Was she concerned about Rose? About their differences? Yes, it was true, Rose didn't look like him. He didn't have his fiery hair color. She must have just gotten it from Hermione's side of the family. But the little girl had some of his personality. She was stubborn and had a little bit of a temper on her. Rose _was_ his child.

He pulled the car up to the Twinkle Star Preschool and got out. Just as he entered into the building he heard his little girl.

"Daddy!" she shouted, hurdling herself into his open arms. A mass of blonde curls was all Ron saw as the girl hugged him closely.

"Hi darling, how was your day?" Ron asked tenderly.

"Goodie. We drawed and learned our shapes and I played wif James," Rose told him happily. James Potter was his best mate's son. Rose had become good friends with him because Hermione took her over to Harry's quite often. Ron took her hand and led her out of the school. He strapped her in the car seat and then sat down in the driver's seat.

"Daddy? When will mummy be home?" Rose asked after a bit of silence.

"Uh, sometime later in the afternoon," Ron replied. He glanced back at her through the rearview mirror, like he did every two minutes. She stared out the window, her eyes wide with joy.

"Daddy? What's for lunch?"

"Uh, whatever you want, Rosie," Ron said, a smile playing on his features.

"Pizza?"

Ron shook his head. "I dunno if mummy would want you to have pizza. We just had it a few nights ago."

Rose's eyes widened and her lips pouted. "Pwease? Pwease daddy?"

She hit Ron's soft spot. He caved. "Alright, but don't tell mummy or she'll kick my butt."

Rose's tinkling giggle came from the back of the car. "Okie, I won't tell mummy."

Ron rubbed his forehead but couldn't stop the smile from forming as he glanced back at the little girl. She was grinning from ear to ear. How did he get so lucky? _She_ was _his_.

The afternoon passed pretty much uneventfully. Ron and Rose enjoyed pizza from a muggle parlor in London and then had ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Then he took her around Diagon Alley to show her some of the places she'll get some stuff from for Hogwarts. She skipped happily beside him, their hands interlocked the whole time. After an hour or so, Ron took Rose back to Hermione's house and the two played games and watched Barney. Rose _had_ to bring her stuffed purple dinosaur down to watch. It was cute.

"Daddy!" Rose squealed, jumping up and down while pointing at the TV screen. "I wanna be on dat wif Barney!"

Ron chuckled. "Of course you do, sweetheart." Rose clutched her Barney to her chest and crawled onto Ron's lap to continue watching. A little bit later, they were out cold on the floor.

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Her day had been long. She was extremely exhausted and anxious to see her little girl. Her feet ached from wearing heels and standing all day. But on the bright side, her client one the case. He got legal rights to see his little girl. She smiled as she wrenched the front door open. She'd just helped a man be able to spend time with his three-year-old daughter. It felt good.

Walking through the foyer, her heels made a clicking noise on the cherry hardwood. She placed her briefcase, bag, and jacket on the kitchen table and turned towards the living room. Ron was sprawled out on the carpet, Rose cuddled on his chest. She grinned. For some reason, she always found them sleeping. Rose's eyes flickered open. When she saw her mother, a toothy grin appeared on her face. She leaped off Ron and flung herself at Hermione.

"Mummy!" Rose wrapped her arms around her mum's legs and hugged her. Hermione hoisted her up on her hip and stroked her curls.

"How was your day?"

"Goodie," Rose giggled.

"What'd you and daddy do?"

Rose smiled slyly and bit her lip. "Went to Dagan Alley and…and played games and watched Barney."

"Oh, you went to Dagan Alley, did you?" Hermione cooed, tickling the little girl's belly. Rose let out another giggle that soon turned into full laughing. Ron sat up and spun around, then let out a sigh of relief.

"How'd your case go?"

"It went well. My client won. I was pretty good, if I do say so myself," Hermione chuckled. She put Rose down and slipped off her heels. "Merlin, my feet are killing me." With a sigh, Hermione fell into one of the comfy chairs and lifted her feet up on the ottoman. She took the remote and changed the channel to the news.

"No! Mummy, I was watching dat!" Rose complained.

"Hush, Buggy, I want to see the news." Hermione held up her finger. Rose sat on the couch, her little legs dangling over the edge, with her arms crossed and a prominent pout on her face.

As the news man talked, Hermione watched, just to check on anything suspicious. Muggle news wasn't really helpful with the Wizarding world but if a wizard to doing significant damage, the muggles would report it, not knowing it was magic.

"Mysterious murders have been taking place here in London," the man went on. Hermione's ear perked up and she listened for any signs. "We haven't figured out the source yet, but it seems a whole village has been wiped clean. The victims have been, well, basically frozen. We will continue this investigation. Back to you, Margret."

A whole village wiped clean? Victims basically frozen? _Avada Kedavra. _That spell could easily have done the trick… Hermione glanced at Ron. He was staring in disbelief at the TV. Then she looked at her little angel. Her pout was gone. She gazed at her mummy. Hermione stood up immediately and hurried to the phone. Rose followed. She picked up the phone and dial the Potters' number. The only reason Harry had installed one was because of her. An easy way to communicate.

"Um…h-hello?" A voice, unsure what she was doing, came from the other line.

"Ginny? Oh Ginny, is Harry there?" Hermione asked, desperately.

"Um, yes. Hermione, uh…what's wrong?" she muttered, her voice worried.

"Nothing, I just need to talk to Harry, please, Ginny," Hermione told her. Rose tugged on her black pencil skirt.

"Mummy, what's going on?" Hermione held her finger to Rose's lips.

"Hermione? What's up?" Harry's voice came from the other line.

"Harry, I could ask you the same question. You're the Auror. You tell me. I was watching the muggle news and there's…well there's been mysterious murders and it sounds like it was done by a wizard with the _Avada Kedavra _curse." Her voice choked one the last word.

Harry's voice came out slightly harsh. Hermione could just picture him with his teeth clenched. "No, this is the first I've heard of it." He relaxed. "I'm going to Apparate in to the Ministry of Magic and I'll get back to you when I've figured some stuff out. Thanks for letting me know, Hermione."

"Okay, bye." She hung up and phone and turned to Ron, who was standing in the kitchen staring at her. "He's not sure. He hasn't heard anything. He said he was going to go to the Ministry and find out." She picked up Rose, who'd been nagging and whimpering.

"Alright, I'm gonna go down too. I'll call from the Ministry when we get some information." He placed a quick kiss on Rose's forehead and Apparated out.

Hermione didn't like the idea of staying at home, waiting for a call. She wanted to find out herself or at least be there. Her tension and quickness scared Rose. She was now sobbing into her chest. Hermione rubbed her back with circular motions.

"It's okay, Buggy, it's okay." Rose sniffled and wiped her eyes. Hermione placed her on the ground. "Why don't you go play."

Rose nodded and ran off to her bedroom.

The hours seemed to drag on. Hermione felt helpless as she sat by the phone, waiting for a call from either Ron or Harry. She needed to know what was going on. She didn't like feeling out of it all. Usually she was right up with everyone, hearing the plan as it was being formed. Not this time. She was stuck at home, feeling sick to her stomach.

Once the ringing sound echoed through the house, Hermione leaped up and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" she asked desperately.

"Hermione? It's Ron." She sighed with relief at the sound of his voice.

"What's going on?"

"Well, the murders were work of a wizard. They have their suspicions but I won't worry you with the details that they aren't even sure of. All they want you to do is get somewhere safe because who ever it is will probably come after us three, since we're legendary." Ron's voice sounded smug.

"Okay, I could stay with my parents…or -"

Ron cut her off. "The Ministry is determind to send you to this one place. I am furious but they will not budge. They threatened to fire me if I interfered. Ugh, I can't believe it! Him out of all people!" He groaned angrily.

"Ron, who is it?" Hermione asked, afraid to know.

He took a deep breath and when he spoke, his voice was filled with the utmost loathing. "_Malfoy_."

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One week came and went. The thought of living at Malfoy Manor was horrifying to Hermione. She'd begged and pleaded with the Minister. But there was no hope. His mind was set. He wanted Hermione to be safe and apparently she would be safe there. Ron had promised to come and take her and Rose out almost every day. She was grateful for that. The only thing that struck her curiosity was, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to know, to finally know the truth. She could compare Rose with Malfoy and figure out if he _really_ is her father. Though she was sure she knew the truth, she just wasn't ready to accept it.

She'd heard about Draco's divorce with Astoria Greengrass. It had been all over the news. Divorce wasn't common in the Wizarding world and was frowned upon. But, apparently Astoria had been sneaking around behind his back. What a shocker. With a sister like Daphne, it was sort of expected. So Draco lived with his parents and his son, Scorpius Malfoy. He was about Rose's age and that scared Hermione to death. Who knows what kind of a little boy he is? He could be a bad influence on her little girl. But, then again, he would be her step-brother. Hermione shuddered.

So, for the past few hours, Hermione had been packing her and Rose's things. Rose had been so good. She dressed herself and now was sitting in the living room drawing pictures. That way, Hermione could pack in peace. She was no where ready for this big change. Draco didn't worry her as much as his parents, Lucius and Narcissa, did. Lucius obviously hated Hermione for her lack of magical parents. As did Narcissa, but she didn't seem as against them as her husband.

She glanced at the clock. The Minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt, would be arrive in fifteen minutes. She grabber her wand and non-verbally cast a spell that put all of the remaining clothing in the suitcase. Then she levitated the bags down the stairs, placing the nicely in the foyer.

"Rose, honey, can you put your shoes on?"

"Yes, mummy." Rose strapped her white sandals on, for it was April, so it was warm enough. She sat back down and went back to her drawing.

The doorbell rang and Hermione hastily answered it. There stood Kingsley Shacklebolt in robes of brilliant purple and gold.

"Minister," she said politely.

"Miss Granger, are you ready go?" he asked in his deep, booming voice. He didn't try to be loud, he just was by nature.

"Yes," Hermione replied. Two wizards took their bags outside. Hermione hoisted Rose onto her hip and carried her outside as well. Holding tightly to her precious cargo, she pictured Malfoy Manor, shuddered at the memory of it, and Apparated.

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N/A Thanks for reading. Review please?


	3. My Daughter

**Breaking The Truth**

**Chapter 3: My Daughter**

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N/A Sorry about the ending. I haven't started writing chapter 4 yet so it will probably taking a little longer to get it up than the others. I basically had most of this chapter written. So anyway, enjoy. Review if you liked it (:

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Draco Malfoy was seething. So, Hermione Granger, _Granger,_ was living with them? That couldn't be happening. She _couldn't_ just come and live with them. They may be on the same side now, but he still hated her and she still hated him, he was sure of it. His parents, for sure, still hated her. She was a muggleborn witch, who had beat him in every subject. Plus, she was bringing that little girl with her, that _Weasley_. Draco had every right to be furious.

But, he wasn't worried about the girl. He'd seen her around. She was definitely a cutie. He'd also read the _Daily Prophet_ when they'd done the feature on how Granger and Weasley's daughter didn't have the famous red hair. She was a blonde. Probably got that from her mother. Though, he had to admit, he was worried about his son's reaction. He hadn't told Scorpius about the Grangers. For sure, his son would freak. He was so used to being an only child and having a Gryffindor and her daughter in the house would upset him.

According to Draco, he was a good father. He loved his boy a lot. Most people would assume that he beat is kid and forced him to be a bastard when he grew up. That was not the case. Ask Scorpius yourself. He could tell you that his father was a loving, patient father. He vowed that he would take his anger or anything out on his son. Draco had a soft spot for children.

"Mother?" Draco called. "Did you set up one of the guest rooms? And where's her daughter going to sleep?"

Narcissa Malfoy walked into the sitting room where her son was. "Yes, Miss Granger's room is set up. It's the one across from your bedroom, darling."

"What?!" Draco spat. "I can't handle _her_ across the hall."

"Draco please. We are trying to prove ourselves to the Wizarding world. You must at least prove to Hermione that you can act civil. As for her daughter, she'll be beside Hermione's room. I don't think she would want to be too far from her mother in a new setting."

Draco crossed his arms. "Yeah well we wouldn't have to prove ourselves to anyone if father hadn't bloody screwed up our name!"

"Darling, calm down. Our…_guests_ will be arriving soon." Narcissa swept out of the room gracefully leaving an anything but calm Draco by himself. The doorbell rang and he slowly left the room, not caring if he wasn't there to "welcome them politely into their home". When he arrived in the foyer, his father and mother and answered the door. They were obviously talking to the Minister of Magic. He couldn't see Granger or her little kid.

"Father? What's going on?"

Draco looked down to see his little four-year-old son standing next to him, gazing curiously at the forms of Lucius and Narcissa. Scorpius scratched his very fair blond hair and then turned his grey eyes upon Draco. He was glad his son had inherited his looks instead of Astoria. It's not that she wasn't pretty, Merlin, she was beautiful, but he didn't want to remember the awful three and a half years they spent together. Scorpius was like a mini form of himself. He had Draco's pointed, pale features and even had his signature smirk.

"Uh…we're taking in two girls because of all the murders that are taking place," Draco explained carefully.

Scorpius scowled. "Girls? No."

"But, son, one's your age," he tried to reason. He didn't like to see his boy upset.

"All the worse," the little boy said shortly.

"Well, come on in," Narcissa insisted, stepping out of the way.

He couldn't help but stare. His former enemy looked…_good_. More like a girl then she did during their time at Hogwarts. Her bush of brown hair wasn't so bushy anymore. It fell in silky, soft curls. Her brown eyes were just as he remembered. Wide, and well, you could pretty much get lost in them. She wore dark jeans the hugged her legs nicely and slanted in towards her ankles. A red blouse draped over her body and matching red flats were on her feet. It was obvious she, too, was having a hard time taking her eyes off him. He felt a little smug at that thought.

His eyes shifted to the little girl in her arms and they almost popped out of his head. The girl was the most beautiful little girl he'd ever seen. She had very fair blonde hair, just like him and his son, and wide brown eyes like her mother. She had a pale, pointed face and looked like she would grow tall. She wore a little pink dress and white sandals. The girl reminded Draco of…_him_.

Immediately, he thought back to the night. The night where all hope was gone. The night where he'd made the biggest mistake of his life. He'd slept with the enemy. It hadn't been intentional. It kind of just happened. He remembered feeling so scared and he'd thought he would probably not make it out alive. He'd wanted one moment of pure happiness, not caring who it was with.

Could it be? Could it be that that one moment caused something that would last forever? Could that little girl be the result of one mistake? He tried to swallow the lump in is throat. The girl didn't look like Weasley at all. If she was his daughter, she would have most definitely inherited the fiery hair. But she didn't. She had his hair color; his blonde, almost silver hair color.

Draco watched as the little girl's eyes lit up at the site of him. Granger looked at her and then back at him. Why did she seem…_happy?_ Was is possible, saying he was her father, for her to know? He didn't really know how it worked but the glint in her eyes seemed to tell him what he wanted. She _had_ to know or at least feel like she knew him.

Scorpius scowled harder. "Father! Why does she look like us?"

"I-I don't know," he croaked. Hermione stepped inside the house, cautiously taking in her surroundings. The last time she was here, she had been kidnapped with Potter and Weasley…and then been tortured. He shuddered at the thought.

With a flick of his wand, Lucius brought her bags in, dropped them in the foyer, and shut the door.

"Try and be nice," Draco told his son. "Okay?"

"Fine," Scorpius muttered.

Draco stepped forward and his boy followed. He stopped a few feet away from Granger and smirked. "Hello, Granger."

She narrowed her eyes. "Hi, Malfoy." Her voice was lathered with disgust and a little bit of fear.

He raised his eyebrows and then decided to introduce his son. He was anxious to officially meet the beautiful girl in Granger's arms. "This is my son, Scorpius."

"Oh, uh, this is Rose," Granger replied.

Rose. What a perfectly fitting name. She was even more gorgeous than a rose. The girl smiled widely at him and he had to wonder if this upset Hermione. She wasn't showing it but he knew it had to.

Scorpius smiled as sweetly as he possibly could at them. Draco knew it was fake but the two girls didn't. Rose grinned down at him and Hermione even smiled a small smile at the boy. It was obvious Hermione didn't trust anyone enough to put Rose down. She clutched the girl so close to her chest, as though she was a pile of gold. But Draco could almost understand why. The girl was precious and all Hermione had were bad memories of this place. She didn't know what it was like with out Voldemort taking refuge in it.

Draco felt the need to interrogate Hermione about Rose's appearance, but that would have to wait. Let her get comfortable first.

"Draco? Mind showing Hermione to her room?" Narcissa asked, not taking her eyes from the little girl.

"Fine." Pulling out his wand, he hexed the suitcases to followed them up the grand stairs. Scorpius trailed behind, curiousness written all over his little face. Draco stopped at the entrance to the room across from his room.

"Here ya go," he mumbled.

"Don't over excite yourself, Malfoy." Hermione brushed past him, shifting Rose on her hip.

"Uh, Rose's room is beside yours…" His voice trailed off.

Hermione spun around in the room. "No, she'll be staying with me, for now. Until I can find something pleasant about this place."

"Fine," he muttered, turning to go. Scorpius shot them an icy stare before following Draco out of the doorway.

~*~

Hermione sat Rose on the bed and began to unpack. She sighed as she pulled out some of the clothing and placed them in the large, oak dresser. The room was pretty big; bigger than her's at home. The king-sized bed was resting by the middle of the right wall, the dresser off to the other side. A decent-sized oak desk was set by the window with a lovely view of the backyard.

"Mummy, I like Malfoy," Rose mused, taking in her surroundings. Hermione had to laugh at that,

"His name is Draco, Buggy," she smiled.

"Oh…den why do you call him Malfoy?" she asked, honestly wanting to know.

"Because, hmmm…let's just say mummy and Draco weren't exactly friends in school. Malfoy is his last name," Hermione explained softly, continuing to put away clothing. Rose mulled over that information for a few minutes.

"Well _I_ like Dray-co. Mummy? Can I go play wif Scor-pee-ius?"

Hermione didn't think that was a good idea. The little boy seemed exactly like Draco when he was younger. She would much rather be there if Rose was going to interact with Scorpius. She also didn't like the idea of her daughter taking a liking to Draco so quickly. He was veil. But, after getting a good look at him, he was definitely her father, much to her dismay. "Not now darling. Wait until mummy is done, then we can both go find him."

"Okay," Rose agreed. She glanced around the room, kicking her legs on the side of the bed. "Mummy, this place is big!"

"Yes it is," Hermione agreed.

"Are we living here?"

"For now."

"Will we ever get to go home?" Rose wondered.

"Yeah, baby. We'll go home soon." Hermione sighed and moved across the room.

"Promise?" Rose tilted her head and looked at her mother.

"Promise." But truth be told, Hermione wasn't sure. She had no idea what was going on outside the walls of the manor. She didn't know how long her and her angel would be in this God-forsaken place. Though she couldn't tell Rose that. She needed to keep positive so not to freak her out. She was anxious to call Ron and do something.

"Mummy? Are we eva gonna see daddy again?" Rose asked.

"Um, yes. Daddy said he would see us as often as he could. He's working a lot at the Ministry of Magic, but he'll do his best," Hermione reassured her. She put the last article of clothing in the dresser and joined her daughter on the bed. "Everything's going to be okay, love."

~*~

Days pasted. Slowly, but they did. Hermione spent as much time as she could with Ron and Rose, out of the manor. Ron was still incredibly furious that she and her girl were forced to stay with the Malfoy's. He didn't stop ranting about it. Hermione told him that it wasn't so bad. And it wasn't. Rose loved to play with Scorpius and he too seemed to enjoy her company. Narcissa absolutely loved Rose, despite that she thought she was Ron's. But, Hermione didn't want Ron to lose his job. It was only a matter of time before Ron burst into the Ministry demanding that they be positioned somewhere else.

Now being sure that Draco was her father, she felt like her lying had risen dramatically. Everytime Ron mentioned something about being Rose's father, she had to smile and lie through her teeth. This wasn't the way she pictured herself living. The lies were taking over. If Ron ever found out the truth, he'd be horrified at her. But her lies were pulling her under. She was drowning in them. If she didn't do something soon, they would start affecting her little Rose. _Her_ daughter. Hermione would not let that happen. It _was_ time to tell the truth, she knew so. To Ron _and_ Draco.

She gulped. Draco wouldn't be _too_ hard. They'd been kind of getting along. Rose was very intrigued by Draco. And it was easy to see that he liked her too. Plus, it would be easier to explain herself to him than to Ron. It would definitely turn into a shouting war. She wasn't ready for that. But, she could be ready to tell Draco. To get part of it off her chest. So she didn't have to lie to Draco. He had to have his suspicions. He had to have noticed Rose's similarities to him. She might as well get it over with.

Pulling herself off her bed, she opened the door quietly and tip-toed down the stairs, hoping Draco was somewhere alone, in a great mood. Though, she knew, even that would keep him from getting mad. She glanced into the study and immediately threw herself against the wall. Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco were having a _strongly_ worded discussion.

"There's no way! After all we've done to try to prove ourselves to the Wizarding world, you want to go back? No! I won't ruin Scorpius' life like you ruined mine!" Draco fumed.

"Calm down, son," Lucius said coolly. "It was just a suggestion."

"Damn right it was! A suggestion, and nothing more!"

"Civil language, please Draco." For being in an argument, Lucius seemed rather laid back. Though he always was, so it wasn't much of a surprise.

"Civil language, my ass." Draco slammed a glass cup down on the desk. "I can't believe this thought even crossed your mind! You want to? Go ahead. I won't stop you. Ruin your life; everything you've tried to build the past five years. But you're done ruining mine."

Hermione held her breath as he stalked out of the study. She sighed with relief. Some how, he didn't notice her. She snuck back up to her room, her mind swimming. What did he mean? _After all we've done to try to prove ourselves to the Wizarding world, you want to go back?_ What was he talking about? She sat on her bed and played the conversation that she heard over and over in her head. She was so busy thinking, that she didn't hear the door open or notice him standing in the doorway.

"Rose is my daughter, isn't she?"


	4. Feelings

**Breaking The Truth**

**Chapter 4: Feelings**

* * *

Hermione's eyes popped wide open. Her body seemed immobile._ Just sit up and say yes! You wanted to tell him, now's your chance. Just say yes! _she screamed at herself. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The seconds ticked by in a deep, awkward silence. Slowly, she sat up and looked at him, still not speaking. He was leaning against the door frame, his body relaxed, but his expression was far from it. She shrinked back under his piercing stare, suddenly feeling extremely worried for his reaction.

"Hermione?" Draco said, breaking the unbearable silence, his voice hard. But still, kicking herself mentally, she liked the way her name rolled off his tongue.

"Pssh, what makes you think that?" she asked, the shaking in her voice prominent.

He took a step into the room. "I'm not blind, ya know. Anyone with eyes would see it." He raised an eyebrow at her. She looked way.

"Alright, fine, yes, yes she's your's. But don't you dare go start making assumptions because, in my defense, I thought she was Ron's. Well, until recently. And I thought I'd been doing the right thing. I didn't want Rose to grow up being confused about who her real father is," she blurted out in a rush. He thought about what she said before speaking.

"So…if you never came here, you would've never told me about her? About the fact the we had a kid?!"

Okay, so maybe he would get mad. His cheeks flushed red. Guilt washed over Hermione. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to hide Rose from him.

"No, I would've told you! I was planning on it anyway…"

"And when were you planning to do it?" he sneered.

Hermione avoided meeting his eyes. She knew he saw right through her. "Eventually." What else could she say? She didn't know when she was planning to do it. Truth be told, it hadn't even crossed her mind. She thought about doing it, but not when. She didn't think it would happen so soon. She thought she'd have a bit more time to figure out exactly how to explain it to him. In a way that wouldn't have him freaking out.

"So, basically you were waiting for _me_ to figure it out." It was more of a statement than a question. She didn't know how to respond. She'd hoped he wouldn't find out but, she didn't want to be the one to tell him if he had to know.

"I'm sorry," was all that came to mind. She knew that wouldn't even come close to covering it. He flushed redder than before. In a way, it reminded her of Ron.

"You're _sorry?_" he asked venomously. "That's the best you can do?"

Tears flooded the brims of her eyes. She looked away, not wanting Draco to see her break down. No matter how hard she tried to hold them back, traitor tears leaked out and raced down her cheeks to drip in her lap. She knew he had every right to be mad at her. She deserved it. She'd kept something so important, something that would change his life, a secret from him, from Ron, from everyone. But something inside her told her to shout at him, to get mad at him. It was the past.

Hermione wiped the tear tracks off her cheeks and faced Draco. "Look, I know you should be mad. I deserve it. I get it. Go ahead and yell at me. Tell me how stupid and unthoughtful I am. I kept your daughter from you! You _should_ be screaming at me! But it's in the past! If I could, I'd go back and change it. I know now that as soon as I found out she was your's, I should've come straight to you. But I was afraid! Rose needed a father in her life and I was scared that you would've turned your back on her, on me. And then I would've had to tell Ron. And I _know_ he will leave as soon as I do. Then I'd be left alone; she'd be left alone, without a father. I didn't want that!" Before she knew it, she was sobbing. "Rose means everything to me. She's my whole life. I want to raise her right."

Draco stepped forward, stretched out his arm and then pulled in back, deciding better of himself. He sat down beside her on the bed and stared at the wall in front. It was silent for a little bit. All that was heard was Hermione's sobs. Her face was in her hands and she was bent over, elbows resting on her knees. She felt completely vulnerable and did not like it. Him seeing her crying was the last thing she wanted. He'd always seen the tough side of her. She never let her guard down back in school. But she could tell he didn't like it either. His emotions were visible in his grey eyes. He was unsure of what to do.

The silence stretched on. It began to get uncomfortable. Hermione wiped her eyes and glanced at him. He was leaning forward, still staring at the wall. She wondered what was going on in his mind. When he finally spoke, his voice came out slowly, but determined.

"I'm not going to turn my back on you. Rose is my responsibility also. Hermione, I'm not the same person I was backing at Hogwarts. When I left there, I left that person too. But, you should know that I am mad. But not just at you. At myself also. We were incredibly careless that night and it should've never happened."

Hermione laughed dryly. "It's funny how one night of letting everything go can change the rest of your life."

Draco smiled at her. For a moment, she got an urge to feel his soft lips against hers again. Quickly, she pushed it away and smiled back.

"When are you planning to tell Weasley?" he asked quietly.

She shrugged and sighed. "I dunno. I know not now. I just couldn't handle it at the moment. I need time to think up what I'll say to him. It's not going to be easy. Ron has quite a temper." She sighed again and rubbed her already red eyes. "I'm so stressed out right now."

"What can I do to help?" he offered.

Hermione stared at him. "What's with all the sudden niceness?"

"Well, I figured we should try to get along for Rose. Though, it's just _killing_ me to be nice to you," he said.

"I bet it is," she agreed, "just as it's killing me not to smack you again."

"Ha, ha very funny, Granger," Draco chuckled.

"You know it is, Malfoy," Hermione grinned.

"But, I'm completely serious. What can I do to help you?" he asked again. His eyes searched her face as she gazed back at him. Wonder appeared in them and she knew he was wondering about what was on her mind.

"I dunno, just be her father."

He nodded, stood up, and turned to go.

"Where are you going?" she blurted out. Her stomach twisted as he spun around to look at her.

"Mmm, shopping. I think I'm gonna buy Rose something," he decided.

"Oh, you don't have to do that…" Her voice trailed off.

"Ya, I do. I missed four of her birthdays. I think I deserve to get her something expensive."

Hermione shook her had, smiling, as she watched him exit her bedroom. After he disappeared, she sighed and replayed the conversation in her mind. So, it went better than she expected. Though, the whole crying part was definitely _not_ part of her plan. She didn't do well when vulnerable. That's what got her into this situation in the first place.

But, now she could check Draco off her list of people to tell. Ron was next. That was a scary thought. Though she was happy she wouldn't have to tell Lucius and Narcissa. She knew she'd be terrified of them, even though Narcissa had been treating her with respect. Lucius, on the other hand, was still presenting his loathing for muggle-born. He did his best to hid it, none the less. That area was Draco's responsibility. She had to handle Ron and that was enough.

~*~

He needed a moment to think. What just happened? Did he and Hermione really agree to be civil to each other? Yes, yes they did. The thought was overwhelming. If he were back a few years, he never would've dreamed this day would come. But, he needed to see the bigger picture.

And that was Rose.

That little girl _was_ they bigger picture. She was absolutely precious. As he skimmed through his memories and looked at them more in depth, he began to question whether or not he deserved to have such an angel as his daughter. He came to a conclusion. No. There was no way that he deserved her. He'd been a complete bastard to Hermione in school. Now that he thought about it, Hermione deserved to have been treated better ¾ for a Mudblood. He had to admit, she was a damn good witch.

Draco paced and paced back and forth in his bedroom. He stopped, turned, and banged his head into the wall. What was he thinking? This was Hermione Granger, he was thinking about! The Muggle-born witch who'd beat him in every class! He'd been jealous! Extremely. The way his father taunted and punished him for _not_ getting better grades then her.

But, this was also Hermione Granger, the mother of his little girl, who, even when she wasn't trying, charmed every inch of him. And that started back in Hogwarts. He didn't like to admit it so he covered it up by teasing her. True, he didn't like her because she was a Mudblood, but he couldn't help feeling something more. Maybe that's why he made no effort to stop things from getting out of hand almost six years ago…

"Damn!" he cursed. "Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn you, Malfoy!" He slammed his forehead into the wall, spun around, and slid down to slump on the floor, his back supported by the wall. He felt something…something for _her_. Oh no. This is the worst possible thing that could happen to him. Not now. Not when he's so trying to fight his father, trying to keep himself from going back.

"Not now," he whined. "Oh Merlin, not now."

As he thought more about his problems, he realized it was probably not safe for Hermione and Rose to be here. Why the Ministry thought it would be was beyond him. Not with his father…_thinking_ again. Maybe he could see if Hermione wanted to move into one of the estates closer to London with him… He shook his head. There's no doubt that she would say no and think he's completely mental. But…Rose. He couldn't have her here with his father. And even Scorpius; he need to take care of his son without his father's influence on the boy.

He would have to speak with his mother. He knew for a fact that she didn't want Lucius thinking again. Then, he would talk to Hermione. He wanted his little girl and boy safe more than anything. Nothing else mattered to him. They were the most important things in his life right now. Scorpius was all he lived for over the past few years.

Draco stepped out of his bedroom and found his mother sitting in the study. He entered and sat down across the desk from her.

"Is something on your mind, darling?" Narcissa asked, looking over her horn-rimmed glasses that she only wore while reading.

"Yeah, how would you feel if I ask Hermione and Rose to, you know, move into the estate closer to London…?" He said slowly. "You know with father and everything, I just don't think it's face for them and Scorpius."

"Sweetheart, if you want to, I'm not stopping you. That estate is in fine condition, preferably my favorite. If you would like to, go right ahead. I think that is a marvelous idea," she beamed. "It would be a great chance to get to know Hermione and Rose. And to let Scorpius bond with the two. Although, it seems as though he has taken a liking to Rose." She indicated out the window.

Draco stood, walked over to the glass, and stared out. Rose and Scorpius were running around, playing with Toby, the little beagle he'd gotten Scorpius at Christmas. He couldn't help but smile and then turned back to his mother.

"Okay, yeah, I really do want to. But I need to talk to Hermione first. I dunno if she would be okay with it… Maybe I'll wait a bit and then ask her," he decided.

"Alright, darling, whatever you want to do." Narcissa turned back to the book she was reading. Draco took that as he signal to leave.

* * *

A/N I'm so sorry for the long wait! Ugh It's just been so hard to get an idea! But, I did and I promise the next chapter will be better and hopefully longer. Anyway, review if you liked it!


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